Unit 8:PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING I/ Reading 1 1. What is plastic injection molding?

This is the most common method of producing parts made of plastic. The process includes the injection or forcing of heated molten plastic into a mold which is in the form of the part to be made. Upon cooling and solidification, the part is ejected and the process continues. The injection molding process is capable of producing an infinite variety of part designs containing an equally infinite variety of details such as threads, springs, and hinges, and all in a single molding operation. 2. Injection molding machine An injection molding machine produces components by injection molding process. Most commonly used machines are hydraulically powered in-line screw machines. The main units of a typical injection molding machine are the clamping unit, the plasticizing unit, and the drive unit. The clamping unit holds the mold. It is capable of closing, clamping, and opening the mold. Its main components are the fixed and moving plates, the tie bars and the mechanism for opening, closing and clamping. The injection unit or plasticizing unit melts the plastic and injects it into the mold. The drive unit provides power to the plasticizing unit and clamping unit. Injection molding machines are often classified by the maximum clamp force that the machine can generate. This is the force that pushes the two mold halves together to avoid opening of the mold due to internal pressure of the plastic melt in the mold. The clamping force of typical injection molding machines range from 200 to 100,000 kN. Answer the following questions: 1. How many stages are there in plastic injection molding ? 2. What machines are commonly used? .. 3. How much is clamping force? 4. Fill in the gaps below: a. ___________has the capability of closing, clamping and _________the mold. b. The plasticizing unit injects __________into the mold. c. The plasticizing unit and claping unit are supplied energy by __________. d. ________can be generated to push the two mold halves together to prevent the opening of the mold from________.

5. Matching the each picture with appropriate description: a. A heater heats up the tube and when it reaches a high temperature a screw thread starts turning. b. Granules of plastic powder (note the plastics listed above) are poured or fed into a hopper which stores it until it is needed. c. The mould then opens and the unit is removed. d. A motor turns a thread which pushes the granules along the heater section which melts then into a liquid. The liquid is forced into a mould where it cools into the shape (in this case a DVD storage unit).

Clamping

Injection

Cooling

Ejection

Plastic injection molding process overview II/ Reading 2: Mold standard parts The plastic injection molding process uses mold tooling, usually made of steel or aluminum. The mold component consists of two halves. Both halves are attached to the plastic injection molding machine, the rear half is movable so that the mold can be opened and closed along the mold's parting line. The mold tooling consists of a mold core and mold cavity. When the mold is closed, the space between the mold core and the mold cavity forms the part cavity, which will be filled with molten plastic to create the desired part. When there is need to make several identical parts multiplecavity molds can be used. The mold core and mold cavity are each mounted to the mold base, which is then fixed to the platens inside the injection molding machine. The front half of the mold base includes a support plate, to which the mold cavity is attached. This half also consists of a spruebushing into which the material will flow from the nozzle. The rear half of the mold base includes the ejection system to which the mold core is attached, and a support plate. When the clamping unit separates the mold halves, the ejector bar actuates the ejection system. The ejector bar pushes the ejector plate forward inside the ejector box, which in turn pushes the ejector pins into the molded part. The ejector pins push the solidified part out of the open mold cavity. The mold is closed within the platen arrangement and clamped using necessary force to hold the mold shut during the plastic injection cycle, thus preventing plastic leakage over the face of the mold. Overall, the plastic injection molding process has several advantages for mass production of plastic parts at very high design flexibility

Components of horizontal plastic injection molding machine 1. Backing platen 2. Closing mechanism - Toggle lever and cylinder 3. Ejector 4. Movable platen (Floating platen) 5. Tie bar 6. Fixed platen 7. Nozzle 8. Barrel head 9. Heater band 10. Injection barrel (Transfer chamber) 11. Screw 12. Feed hopper 13. Feed throat 14. Screw motor 15. Parts discharge opening 16. Mold 17. Digital control panel 18. Frame

Exercise : Put these stages in the process in the correct sequence: a. Plastic granulesare mixed and placed in the hopper. b. The rotation of the screw and barrel wall heat the plastic to become molten. c. The nozzle move forward the nozzle mold gate. d. The floating platen is moved forward the fixed platen by the closing mechanism and the mold is closed. e. The screw goes forward with high pressure to inject the melt plastic into the mold through the nozzle mold gate. f. After a certain period of time and keep the pressure, g. The pressure is kept in a period of time, then the part is cooled and solidified. h. The mold is opened and the part is ejected by the ejector. III/. Translate the sentences into English: 1. My p nha hay cn gi l my p keo, bao gm hai khi chnh: Khi km, to ra lc km gi cho khun v khi phun, to p sut v nhit cho nha chy lng vo trong khun. 2. My p nha to ra nha c chy lng nhit nht nh v p sut cao, sau c nh hnh bi khun v lm lnh. 3. Sau khi kt thc qu trnh lm lnh sn phm s c a ra ngoi.